Whoa, whoa, whoa. What a busy week. Am I the only one feeling incredibly relieved today is Friday? I thought I’d celebrate by sharing the Christmas mix I made for last Saturday’s Mighty Swell giveaway. It starts off shaky, but like they say, all’s well that ends well, and this ends with Canned Heat, so yeah. I’d say it ends well enough. Me hope you likey.
xo,
Meghan
This Christmas, my mom gifted me one of her biggest thrift-store scores of 2010: A 57-piece set of blemish-free Blue Ridge china.
The pattern is Quaker Apple, which was produced in 1953 as part of a promotional deal Blue Ridge had with Quaker Oats. That year, housewives reaching into their box of oats were surprised with a full-sized china teacup featuring a hand-painted deep red apple and and trimmed in green. Encouraged by the ad on the back of the container saying “start your set now and save!,” homemakers built a collection of hand-painted ceramics $1.95 at a time. A spoon rest, oatmeal bowl and bread plate today, a set of plates or a handful of soup bowls a few months down the line. Bit by bit, piece by piece.
A few years after this, Blue Ridge stopped producing china. The market had dwindled, drawn away by the lure of indestructible plastic dinnerware. Most larger pieces made after the ’30s have the Blue Ridge stamp. Some are numbered, most are not. Very limited collections of hand-signed pieces were also produced.
If you were wondering what 57 pieces of china looks like, this will give you some idea.
10 dinner plates, 10 saucers, eight small plates, seven fruit/dessert bowls, seven soup bowls, seven teacups, three various-sized platters, an oatmeal bowl, a sugar pot, a creamer, a spoon rest and a large salad bowl. Sweet, right? At first, I was a bit off-put by the “is that a teacher present?” vibe the apple was giving off. But once I started looking at the different pieces and noticed the one-of-a-kind-ness each one had, I fell a little bit in love. I think I’m going to use them everyday, since I’m definitely more of an “every day is an occasion” type of person.
I feel very lucky to have received such a surprising, sweet gift this year. (Thanks, Marmee!) I hope you all had very merry Christmas weekends, too. Did any of you get your socks knocked off by a gift, big or small, thrifted or not?
xo,
Meghan
Hello there!
True story: I started making this garland in September. September people! My original plan was to make a bunch and use them to decorate Mighty Swell’s first storefront. And then I was going to make a bunch and sell them at our event in December. Oh silly me.
Anyway, just a mere three months after starting, I really did finish one off this week and here she is. I think it’s a cute, cozy way to add a little pretty to anyplace that could use it. And, to be honest, pom poms just make me happy. I hung this first one up from my $5.99 photo line in my bedroom.
I can’t crochet to save my life (believe me, I have tried and FAILED!), so instead of crocheting a line to link the poms together, I just tied the yarn that loops the pom together attempting to make the spaces in between as even as possible. Tying them together went super fast. Untangling them after they accidentally got mussed up did not. Lesson learned.
I bought the yarn at thrifts and then found a couple big, one-pound skeins on sale at Michael’s. (The pom pom maker I used was a gift from Rae, and it is also thrifted.) You can find detailed how-tos on making various pompom garlands here, here and here. And my favorite instructions for making poms themselves is here, courtesy of HonestlyWTF. (God, I could spend ages on that site!)
Well, happy Christmas eve eve to you all! Tonight I’m celebrating with my man. We’ve got plans for a fancy homemade steak dinner complete with mashed potatoes, green beans and a Paula Deen cheesecake for dessert (recipe here). He splurged on some delicious cuts at our favorite meat market and I can’t wait to get cookin’. Yay date night!
xo,
Meghan
{Photo of pin-up beauty Anita Ekberg found here.}
I’m soooo excited about the post I did for Beauty Bets this week. It’s a round-up of affordable stocking stuffers—every item costs $6 or less! I was super picky about what I included, and whittled it down to nine products that I really, truly love. Including…my favorite hair product that came out in 2010, a classic red nail polish every gal should own, the eco-friendly makeup bag I tote around with me everywhere and a glittery eyeliner that should cost way more than it does ($5.29). And a whole bunch of other sweet gifties.
In other words, I think you’ll dig it.
Another bonus, everything I picked is for sale at Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc., so if you’ve procrastinated like me, you can easily find any of the products I mentioned right up until the holiday. Anyway, stop on over and check it out if you like.
xo,
Meghan
I swear to God, if I see another one of those syrupy “Every Kiss Begins With Kay” ads, I’m going to throw a slipper at the TV! Why don’t they make ads like they used to? You know, with the sexism right out and in your face.
{All ads are from this awesome set found on Flickr, with the exception of the Dormeyer ad, which was found here.}
xo,
Meghan
Calling all elves!
Value Village Thrift Stores around the metro are in dire need of volunteers to help them ready and stock their stores for the holiday shopping season. Helpers are needed to unpack, sticker and put out holiday items including ornaments, decor and decorations. (The other undeniable bonus? Getting first dibs, of course!) Shifts are available daily: 9 a.m.-noon, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. This opp is group-friendly, so if you’re looking for a girls night out with a big-hearted bent, this is a super easy way to do some good without investing a ton of time. I mean, we all have three hours to spare, right?
All proceeds raised at Value Village shops go towards ARC’s programs and services, which support children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, through assistance programs, family and sibling programs, educational workshops, self-advocacy training, policy-changing legislative efforts and so much more.
Email volunteernow@arcgreatertwincities.org or call 952.915.3652 to sign up!
xo,
Meghan
P.S. Want to hear more from someone who’s volunteered at Value Village? Jill, from Spoils of Wear, volunteered last summer at favorite thrift and did a lovely job of documenting it in this post.
high plains thrifter 
